So how
did he ("Ken," my AI replacement as GM) do it?
Well, I should not be so hard on myself. It turns out that he promoted and used some of the young talent that I had recruited before "going on sabbatical." My having blown up the team before I left (letting go the veterans, at least two of which now seem premature moves but all of them were playing like old men in 1908) opened up slots for these young guys.
"Ken" did bring on the yellow-highlighted players, though, and what he did with the pitching staff made a big difference. And, remarkably, he got them all by claiming them off waivers during the year (for Arias he traded some rookies, another good move).
"Ken" took those guys on despite personality traits that I have always avoided, especially in Work Ethic and Intelligence. Arias in particular I would have not touched with a 10-foot pole (low leadership in addition to everything else).
Lessons learned:
- "Bruce, will you check the darned waiver wire EVERY week from now on?"
- "Don't be such a goody-two shoes when recruiting talent, especially for short-term needs. There's a place in baseball for bad boys, too. Just make sure they are out-numbered!"
